Starlight and Hellfire
by Ysavvryl
Summary: Ciel died as a paladin, protecting the life of her secret love. Now she finds herself in a hell with no explanation of why and must fight to defend herself against a seductive demon, the hell's warden, and the god of a star in the sky.


_Written for a contest on Gaia, but this one should stand on its own fine. _

**Starlight and Hellfire**

There was fighting in the room as she entered. Of course; there seemed to be fighting everywhere she went here. Most were little hunchbacked people, with green-brown skin and rags for clothes. They were bounding off tables and benches, wailing on each other with oversized hammers and knives in a violent glee. Further in the room, there were three humans, two clashing swords and the third trying to hit the hunchbacks with an axe. Closest to her, one hunchback was tormenting an injured peer by repeatedly stabbing him, not enough to kill him but enough to draw blood.

That was mild compared to what she'd seen in other rooms, but it was still wrong. She took her sword in both hands and slammed it into the tormentor in order to knock him off the injured one. Angered at being denied his fun, the hunchback creature jumped onto her sword, gripping his knife to throw. She let go of her sword with her shield hand, meaning to block it or make him slip on the blade.

However, he howled, falling onto the ground. After rolling a short ways, he bounded up to a table, skipping in place like his feet hurt. "Holy blade, holy blade!" he shrieked in alarm. "Get away from me!"

This caused all the hunchback creatures to give up their fights in favor of hopping away and shrieking in fear. Save for the badly injured one at her feet. With wild desperate eyes, he hurled his body at her silver-plated boot. "Light must dieeeeaaaaaaagh!" He gnashed his teeth, wildly biting for her flesh.

She kicked him off, then struck a killing blow on his head. It was unfortunate to put an injured being to a quick death to end a slow one. Then again, they were harmed simply by the blessings of the goddess on her equipment. That would only happen to one who willingly took on evil powers.

Unlike the hunchbacks, the three other humans in the room weren't immediately intimidated by this. "Who are you, running around with blessed equipment here?" one of the two women asked.

"I'm Ciel," she said, lowering her sword but not putting it away. It wasn't wise to put away weapons in a time of battle. And battle seemed to be the constant state of affairs here. "Where is here?"

The man of the group laughed at her. "The brownies' diner, what else does it look like? Come in and they'll fight or feed you anytime."

"No, I mean this whole place," Ciel said, waving her free hand around.

"If you don't know, how did you get here?" the woman with the axe asked. "Weren't you judged when you died?"

Then it was at least true that she was dead. Ciel bit her lip, then replied, "I'm not sure. I was battling a demon... Mephiste."

"Oh, that's what's going on," she said, shaking her head. "You're in Hell's Prison."

"Hell's... Prison?" Ciel asked, uncertain of what this meant. Two places where people paid for their crimes, together? She glanced down at the thorny black rose that remained embedded in her chest. Perhaps that...?

"Yes, this is where the worst of the worst come," the man said, grinning. "The most violent of criminals from any world are gathered here. None can escape, but none stop us from fighting and messing with each other. Whenever someone gets killed here, the demons revive their soul and send them back to their cell, to start all over again."

"It's great until you show a moment of weakness," the woman with the sword said, nodding in agreement. "Then the torment really begins. But we're all strong. We're not going to fall for their tricks."

The man walked over to her. "Don't worry about it, girl. It's rough to get thrown straight in here, but I can help. I can protect you until you get the hang of the place."

Not liking the look in his eyes, she pulled her shield arm close. "No thanks. I can take care of myself."

"You sure about that? There's a lot worse beings in here and some of 'em aren't even the prisoners." He tried to grab her round shield away, but a spark jumped between them. Ciel didn't feel a thing, but the man yelped. "****! What in hell's name are you? A paladin?"

"Yes," she said, turning to leave.

While the man backed off, clutching his hand and cursing under his breath, the woman with the axe set her weapon aside for a moment to dig in her pocket. "That's a mistake. I don't like it, but... take this and use it to find proof that you don't belong here." She threw over a palm-sized stone emblem. "It'll unlock special areas from teleporters. But I'm not doing this for your good, mind you. There's some kinds of agony that even we don't want around here."

Ciel caught the emblem, although she didn't think she should fully trust these people. They might have a reason to send her off, but they could also be inclined to send her into danger for their amusement. However, now that she knew what this place was, it was even more important for her to find a way out of here. "Thanks for your tip," she said, feeling it might be a bad idea to comment on her being an 'agony' to them. She left the dining area, recalling that one of those magical gate teleporters was nearby past one of the halls.

Once she was gone, the swordswoman turned to her peer with the axe. "I'd say nice save from us having to fight a god-blessed paladin, but are you just trying to earn favors from the Warden?"

"Believe what you want," she replied as the hunchback brownies began to creep towards the door, checking things out warily. "I dunno about you, but I don't want someone like her wandering around too much. I sent her to the star pit. She'll be burnt to a crisp before she even figures out where she is."

The man laughed. "That's a good one. Since she doesn't have a place, she won't be rematerialized. Problem solved."

"I think your problems are just beginning,"another male voice said, thoroughly disapproving. "Did you not see my flower on her? I would show you what agony truly means, but it seems I have to rescue my sweet lady first. Unless..." he began to laugh greedily.

* * *

Right where she arrived in this area, Ciel found the gateway device, what the woman called a teleporter. It was a concrete structure built on a round base, where a large rune circle glowed green. At the sides, flat pillars sat blocking of most of the view; a third of it was left open to be entered. She stepped inside and the emblem in her hand began to glow orange-yellow in a sun pattern. The rune circle changed itself to match, then the device was surrounded in gray smoky light as it transported her instantly to another area of Hell's Prison.

When that light cleared, she found herself in a different kind of light. Squinting from the immense brightness, she stepped out into the orange haze and found rough stone beneath her feet. It was immensely hot too; combined with the orange light, it was like being within a fire without smoke. Ciel heard screeches, so she brought her shield up in the direction it had come from. Something small slammed into it and fell on the ground.

Her eyes were starting to adjust, so she opened them more to see that she was in a stone cavern. There was a bat covered in flames on the ground, stunned for the moment. By the gateway device, there was a rock wall that reached upwards to disappear into the orange haze. She could only see so far into this place because of that light. There was dark area nearby that seemed like it could be another wall, so she headed closer to it.

As she walked, other fire bats dove at her. She decided to simply stun them by making them ram into her shield. While this might be some form of hell, they seemed to just be bats, animals that weren't good or evil even if they were on fire. They probably felt that this was their territory and she was an invader, so she saw no reason to kill them.

She got close enough that the dark form became clearer, but it wasn't a wall. Instead, it was a chain, its metal links dark in color and cool to the touch despite the heat of this place. Even stranger, this chain was up to her shoulders in height. Was this meant to hold down a giant?

FWOOSH!

Ciel looked back at the noise, noticing that a wall of fire had erupted from the chain, blocking her off from the gateway device. This had definitely been a bad idea. Ignoring the harried bats, she moved quickly to get around the wall. It kept growing, eventually meeting up with another fire wall that was growing from a second chain. Once they joined up, the entire wall began moving towards her.

There had to be some way out. The chains looked too tall to jump and now all the links had caught on fire. Thinking there might be a break, or some way to get around them, Ciel ran away from the roaring flames. She spotted a boulder ahead, but it began to rise and take on a human-like form as she approached. The golem attempted to attack her, but she continued running. Ahead, she saw more rock forms that would attack as well. Hopefully one wouldn't and could be used to jump the chain.

While she was working that out, a whispering started to reach the back of her mind. The fires kept her from hearing them clearly, but some being was trying to say something to her. The whispers grew and changed, eventually getting her notice. It had to be some spirit that inhabited this place. Looking up, she caught a glimpse of something dark moving through the hazy air. She needed to be alert to an attack from above as well.

"I hate you," a whisper came through to her clearly.

Ciel stumbled, barely catching her balance before she tripped. "Rosamund?" she asked, bewildered. What was she doing here? In trouble?

The whispers became screams, all in Rosamund's voice. There were so many, it couldn't be her. And in this place, it definitely couldn't be her. Keeping her white sword at ready in front of her, Ciel looked around, spotting that dark figure in the haze again. The flame wall slowed, but continued advancing at her. She moved ahead, heading for the figure.

Darting around in the air, the figure kept just out of clear vision. The voices continued, still sounding just like Rosamund. "I hate you." One of the golems had gotten close to her while she was distracted, so she fended off one of its punches with her sword. "What are you doing here?" Ciel felt light-headed as she turned into a better stance against the golem. "I should kill you for what you've done." This heat was so intense that she was going to get baked if she stayed too long. "Why did you leave me?" The heated rock fist of the golem swung just past her eyes; this miss gave her time to attempt breaking off the golem's other arm at the weak shoulder joint. "I hate you."

Sparks flew as sword met stone, but then a burst of flames from the wall consumed the golem. It was almost unbearable how bright it was. No ordinary flames, these melted the golem in seconds, barely giving it time to groan. Ciel backed up, her vision blurring into orange and yellow briefly. This environment might do her in before the monsters did. Looking back, she saw that the flame wall was breaking up, its flames gathering up at one point. This would be a good time to run back.

Before she could, one of the shadowy figures dropped down within clear sight. It was a ragged figure with an emaciated gray body, wearing little but a collection of battered bones tied together. "I hate the overbearing light you bear," it said, using Rosamund's voice.

Ciel thought of telling it not to use her voice, but her throat was dry. Instead, she ran her sword through the tormenting creature. It gave a bloodcurdling scream, still using Rosamund's voice. It felt like someone dragging sharp claws over her soul, making her whole body tremble even though she knew it was false. Another of the voice-stealers dropped nearby, but she ran for the gateway device, fighting to keep herself from crying.

A pain came from where the black rose was embedded in her chest. Ciel cringed, but then saw someone ahead. Not a golem or one of the voice-stealers, but what seemed to be Rosamund herself. "Why did you leave me alone?" she said, tilting her head and letting one of her raspberry curls fall over her eyes. "First it was training, then it was the abbey, and now you tried to leave me alone for good. Is there some reason you don't want to be around me?" She gave a sad pout. "Wouldn't you turn away from your demanding god and stay with me forever?"

"No," Ciel said, her voice feeling rough and dry. This still wasn't right.

"What?" the false Rosamund asked, shocked. Ciel brought her sword up to whoever it was, making the fake princess smirk. "Well you catch on faster than she does. But you're in a place that's better for me." She beckoned, but not to Ciel. The voice-stealers began to come closer, landing and surrounding them. "Your god isn't coming to help you in your hour of need. He isn't going to come ever. Denounce him and I can give you power greater than you could have now."

Ciel shook her head. She didn't know exactly why the goddess she served hadn't yet helped. But that didn't matter. If she didn't interfere, it must be because the goddess had faith in her to come out of this. She had to have faith that her goddess would come through when her own power wasn't enough.

Through the thoughtless words of the voice-stealers, a different voice came to her. It wasn't familiar in any way; it didn't even use words. Yet his meaning was quite clear. 'Close your eyes.'

There was a painful twinge from the black rose, along with a deep feeling that this newcomer was worth her trust. Ciel closed her eyes. A second later, she was surrounded by a fiery roar and a brightness so intense that it passed through her eyelids and turned her vision completely pink. Then someone put one hand over her eyes and another on her left shoulder. Her protector had warm skin, but the temperature around her abruptly dropped. Pain filled her skin with the sudden shift from stifling hot to nearly ice cold.

While there were a few screams, only one lasted for long. It quickly turned into a male voice seething with anger. "You! Let her go. She's mine."

Her protector spoke up again, still wordless yet next to her. 'Leave her be.'

Mephiste growled with anger, but the roar surrounding them intensified. "Fine, I have the other girl to entertain soon. But you've got yourself in a nice pickle, Ciel. Your fate is now in the hands of the first prisoner of this place, the violent insane star Syrma. His power is so great that they had to create the Warden precisely to keep him in check. Before long, you're going to wish that you'd come with me."

After a few seconds, the roar died off and Syrma took his hands off her. 'He's gone.'

The brightness was apparently gone too, so Ciel opened her eyes to look around again. There were no signs of the voice-stealers, nor of the false princess that Mephiste had been. In some spots, there were lumps of molten rock where golems had been. By her side, there was a man whose body seemed to be made of fire in places. He was tied up with many blazing chains on his arms, torso, and legs. However, he was floating off the ground, with the chains trailing off into insubstantial ends.

'How are you?' His lips didn't move, but his solemn eyes did.

"I'm cold and exhausted," she said, putting a hand on her head.

Syrma drifted ahead. 'We'd better move to another area of the prison so you can rest for a little while. Don't worry, I'll protect you.'

Was he insane? He certainly didn't seem violent. Mephiste was likely trying to get her to doubt him. Since he seemed more sane than anyone else Ciel had met here, she nodded and followed him to the gateway device. Syrma raised a hand and did something to it, causing the rune circle to turn dark violet. They passed through it.

The place they arrived at seemed like a palace, but not any that Ciel had been to. The floors were made of black stone, speckled with white and polished to a reflective shine. The columns lining the pale gray walls were decorated with chains and spikes. Just past the entrance, there was a group of chairs and tables, all made of black metal lined with dark violet cushions. It was still cold, but there was no one else here and it seemed quiet. Ciel went to one of the couches and sank down in it, relieved to have a moment to rest.

After doing some checking around himself, Syrma passed through the couch and faced her. There was a flicker of a magic shield around Ciel; he seemed to be focused on that, adjusting its power. With that, the air around her warmed up to a comfortable level. 'Is it?'

"Yes, that's much better," she said, taking a water pouch she had found earlier for a drink. The water itself was still warm, but it helped.

'I had to protect you from my own power, but it's not easy to work with such low temperatures,' Syrma said. 'I was told something once, that me trying to focus my power on you is like trying to focus the power of the ocean on a fly. We live on different scales.'

It was mystifying and made Ciel wonder about him. "Were you the one being held with those chains? You really must be a magical giant."

'No, I'm more of an average yellow size.' Syrma started drifting around the room, watching for intruders.

Given a moment of relative safety, Ciel's mind began to drift in sorting out all that had been going on. Had she been doing something wrong? It might've just been Mephiste's lies. But then, she had been continually drawn away from Rosamund. It had always been about protecting her love, at first in a literal sense. Then it had been to avoid causing her trouble. As much as Ciel loved her and wanted to be by her side, she knew that there were those in court who would raise a ruckus if their future queen decided to marry a woman. Rosamund could be a great queen, but she could be blocked from her true potential if Ciel's wishes kept her from claiming the crown. What if it was all for nothing when Mephiste tried to tempt her?

Rosamund would know that the demon was trouble, no matter what he tried to do. Ciel wanted to believe that. Still, she wanted to go check on her, make sure that it would work out right. She hadn't really gotten a chance to speak with her before she died. Now Rosamund had to live alone; maybe she did see it as being abandoned, which wasn't what Ciel had meant.

'Is that what's troubling you?'

Ciel's body tensed when she heard Syrma say that. She hadn't meant to share that. Then again, she was hearing him mostly through ideas. He would be able to hear what she thought.

'I don't mean to trouble you,' Syrma said, coming closer. 'Would you listen to my story in exchange?'

Since he was looking out for her in a part of hell, it would be good to know why he might be doing this. Especially since Mephiste had said that he was insane. "All right."

Syrma drifted around nearby, his spirit passing through the chairs as he did so. 'I was insane for a long time. I wanted to believe that all the others in the galaxy were against me unfairly. However, they had a right to be so angry with me. In my early days, I found it a thrill to battle other stars and do everything I could to win. I destroyed the worlds they worked on, including those they were trying to nurture life on. Life like you have. Destruction was the power that I cultivated and I was proud of it.'

'But there was one who managed to reach me in peaceful ways, who showed me how beautiful and wonderful the life on a world could be to watch.' Syrma put a hand to his chest and for a moment, his face could be mistaken for any young man in love. 'I still don't know how she did it. Gentle Spica... I only saw worth in destruction until I saw her creation. In that moment, I realized that destruction was the weaker power, more limited and cause for hatred. She was the only one who spoke in my defense when I was captured, but it only moved my imprisonment to a definite time instead of for all eternity.'

'At first, I tried to convince myself that it had been a mistake to listen to Spica, that she had been distracting me so I could be captured. I fought against the Warden who had been created to keep me imprisoned. I denied that this place was set up so that I, and any other prisoners, could never truly win. Because of that, this place came to be one of violence and selfishness. But when one breaks... those creatures that change their voices, they are one of many who punish us. They go through all the voices they know until one causes a reaction in their victim. Then they spew their hateful lies and doubts. I could fight them off all I liked, but they would reemerge and continue to torment me with Spica's voice. One of them found the ideas that pierced through my heart and the group tormented me relentlessly until I lost nearly all reason.'

'When they started tormenting you, I heard the power of the love you hold, and the pain you were resisting. It reminded me of that time. I spent much of my imprisonment broken like that. However, it was my memories of Spica that saved me. I held those deep in my heart, clinging to them in the worst times. Eventually, all I wanted was to speak with her again, to know the truth of what she feels, if she would still love me. I was able to save myself from my insanity by rebuilding myself around that wish. Now I'm just waiting for that time, to see if the others will agree to release me. Less than a thousand years, it would all go by in a dream for me. But I heard your pain and I could not leave another to suffer what happened to me.'

"I pray that you do get to see her again," Ciel said, feeling humbled by his story. She still wasn't entirely sure what Syrma was. A god at least, considering how he spoke of the 'others' creating life on worlds. He had endured so much torment, and even healed himself from it, all for a love that he wasn't sure was returned. She could pull herself through this trial easily compared to that.

'Don't feel sorry for me,' Syrma said. 'I have all the time in the universe when your time for life is so small and fragile, already past you. You have a much greater heart than I; you'll meet with your love again, I feel it.' He stopped pacing, instead heading for one of the doors. 'We're going to meet with the Warden. You have a fragment of foreign power that keeps you trapped here, but my power is too vast to remove it safely. The Warden can handle it, once we convince him that you don't belong here. However, this is his personal area. He has unliving guards that try to stop any from reaching him, especially me. I'm sure we can speak with him despite that. Are you ready?'

It had to be the black rose. Ciel had tried to remove it from her chest shortly after she woke up and found herself here, but it seemed planted securely in there. Getting up, she nodded and started to follow him. "Yes. I can rest properly once I'm out of here."

Syrma passed right through the door. Once she came through, she saw that he was already fighting against two suits of heavy armor wielding axes. Syrma was sweeping his chains wildly through the air, causing the flames to trail in circles around him. They were in a wide hallway, so Ciel was able to keep out of his range and start fighting the armor closest to her.

Wielding a solid iron battleaxe as easily as a light rapier, the armor swung its weapon in wide arcs. Ciel was forced to keep away so that she wasn't in reach. Glancing over, she saw as Syrma wrapped his chains around the other and melted it in seconds. Ciel backed up as Syrma looked at the one facing her. He whipped one chain at it, shattering the helmet in a single blow. Undeterred, the armor turned to him and swung its axe wildly. Ciel managed to get behind it and strike at the joint between its torso and legs. Her sword vibrated at the blow, but it only nicked the armor. She had to back up and let Syrma finish it off.

There were several doors in the long hallway, but Syrma ignored most of them. Halfway through, he was forced to stop as a black circle appeared on the floor between two still armors. A creature emerged from the floor as easily as if it were water. With gleaming black skin, it had long curved horns hanging down from its bull head and leathery wings behind its shoulders. It opened its bright silver eyes and the two armors hit their tall axes into the floor. They would be joining this fight.

'The winged one can devour my energy and weaken my projection with you,' Syrma said. 'It's dangerous to the demons too, but the Warden kept some around because there's little I can do against them.'

"I'll handle it if you keep the armors off me," Ciel said.

'Certainly.' He vanished briefly, reappearing behind the winged beast. Then he whipped one of the armors to get its attention. At the same time, Ciel dashed forward and thrust her sword into the beast. It wasn't an effective way to use her weapon, but it would get the attention of the bony creature. It bellowed at her, bearing its black teeth. Reaching out with its long hands, it attempted to grab her but was burned just like the prisoners before were. She swung her sword back into a better position, then slashed at its chest. Its arm broke off like a brittle stick. With a sense of light cutting through the dark, Ciel knew it was because of her blessings as a paladin. It reassured her that she had kept her honor, or else the powers of her goddess would have diminished.

The winged beast beat its wings strongly, backing several feet away from her. Opening its mouth wide, it spat hundreds of small black balls of energy at her. Ciel brought her shield up in front of her face. As they came close to her, the balls simply vanished. It mystified her that this creature's attacks did absolutely nothing to her but worried Syrma. Perhaps the power it held did something to him that was like using water against a fire monster like those bats earlier. She pursued it so that it didn't turn its attention to her companion.

Perhaps realizing its situation, the winged beast turned desperate, attempting to push her aside in order to turn its attention to the one it could hurt. She caught its attack with her shield and swung her sword at its head. It was forced to flee away from Syrma. Just then, something struck Ciel's helmet. Not enough to break it, but enough to get her attention. She put herself between the winged beast and Syrma before checking what it was. A skeleton with bloodstained bones was calling back the arm it had thrown at her. Behind it, there were more skeletons, along with other undead bodies that had varying amounts of flesh remaining on them. They were filling the hallway.

"We've got a lot of undead on our hands," she called out. "I can handle them, but it'll be a long fight." She then swatted at the winged beast when it tried to dash past her.

'I can make it short, but you'll need to get rid of the winged one first,' Syrma said. 'It'll negate my attack.'

"Will do." There was still some time before the undead ones managed to get to her, so she put her sword in front of her face. "On my oath to defeat the evil ones, give me the strength to dispatch this creature before me."

Her sword shone with a silver glimmer as the holy power within it intensified. The beast was still by her, so she struck its wings for the first blow, knocking it down. When it staggered back up, she attacked it with an upward slice, then down, then across. The extra power demolished its body quickly, so she cleaved its skull apart to make sure it was finished off. Its body hissed as it hit the floor, evaporating into nothing. Seeing the glow of her sword, the lead skeleton hesitated to approach her. Enough of them could still overwhelm her. At the very least, this hall might keep mobs manageable.

She didn't need to fight any of them, though. Syrma came to her side, already finished with the armors. 'Close your eyes again. As long as you do that, I assure you that no harm will come to you.'

Nodding, Ciel did so. Again, a fierce brightness and flaming roar filled the air, although it wasn't nearly as hot this time. She felt power brushing against her exposed skin. It was most like fire, but not exactly that.

When the roar and brightness died off, she heard the creak of heavy doors opening behind her. 'It's finished, and it seems he's inviting us in.'

Ciel opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of two enormous holes filling the hall now. The edges were glowing and melting, as if an impossibly large and hot fire arrow had pierced this structure. Not only that, but warm sunlight filled the hall that had once held a cold magical light. She recalled how Syrma had said that his power was like an ocean protecting a fly, and believed it. There wasn't a trace of the undead creatures left.

Turning around, the large double doors that stood at the end of the hallway had opened up. They also seemed a lot closer than Ciel had remembered them being when the fight with the winged beast had started. She followed Syrma into the room beyond them.

It was a cavernous throne room, with the floor raising in gradual steps up to where a throne made of red crystals and stone stood. The walls and floors were entirely made of the glossy black stone, now with a reddened hue. At the back wall, there seemed to be a rippling curtain of falling flames, dark red and oddly quiet. Standing in front of the throne, there was a demon she didn't recognize. He had red skin, hardly covered with a spiky armor. The demon had his muscular arms crossed over his scarred chest. "It's been a long time since you've sent a flare through my halls, Syrma. What trouble are you up to now?"

'I simply want a mistake corrected,' he replied. 'The lady with me is the paladin Ciel. Mephiste dragged her here after death. Ciel, this is the Warden of Hell's Prison. He's a demon of rare honor.'

"Don't say that about me," the Warden said, vanishing. He reappeared a few feet in front of Ciel, causing her to stop her approach. "Mephiste, is it? What an irritating little snot, can't even handle his own prey. Well, Lady Ciel, is this a mistake?" He held a hand out to indicate the place around them. "There are those who prefer this hell to whatever heaven may offer, because they may battle whenever and however they wish. With your background, you could become incredibly powerful if you decide to stay here. I could even arrange things so that you could leave to your own world, to solve any problems you may have left behind."

"It is a mistake because my soul was not to come under Mephiste's power," Ciel said. "I don't need the power or allegiance of a demon, not even an honorable one. I only serve the goddess that I swore my loyalty to."

The Warden nodded to Syrma. "You needed his power just to get here."

"He's not a demon, but a prisoner," she replied. "I believe that his peers will decide to forgive him when his sentence is served."

'She helped me as I helped her,' Syrma said.

The Warden put a hand to his cheek, then shook his head. "Honestly, I should try some more, but I don't feel like being bothered to negotiate with a paladin. You got Syrma's attention, which tells me all I need to know. Very well. You'll need that rose removed, which I can do."

"Leave her be," Mephiste hissed, appearing in a plume of gray smoke. "The rose means that she belongs to me."

The Warden frowned, but didn't move from his spot. "You want her?"

"I'll fight you again before I go willingly with you," Ciel said. The rose made her chest hurt, but she clutched her blade and did her best to put it out of her mind.

"No you won't," Mephiste said, clenching his fist and bringing it to him. He tried to activate a spell, but the Warden snapped his fingers to stop it. Mephiste's dark eyes glowered at them. "You would dare interfere? This is my business, not yours."

"This is my place, not yours," the Warden said. "And I don't appreciate you sending a goddess-blessed paladin into my home to disrupt the prisoners. If you want her," he summoned a large sword that appeared to be carved from a single bone, "you'll have to fight me."

Mephiste snarled, but leaned back defensively and looked at Ciel.

The Warden shook his head. "Don't make her fight for you. You fight me, directly. Or is it true that, when faced with your peers, you couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag?"

"My powers are far more sophisticated than your barbaric brutality," Mephiste claimed. But he still hadn't called on a weapon of his own. "A battle of swords is beneath me."

"Uh-huh," the Warden replied, unimpressed. "And that's why you always go after the soft female targets to perform your evil deeds rather than do anything directly, always dealing with mortals with less power than yourself. Not because you'd get your delicate hide flayed in the outer halls of hell, much less what would happen to a dandy like you here. If you really want her, fight me."

"If you want a fight with me, you're going to suffer for far longer than just this encounter," Mephiste said, fleeing the scene in the same way that he had come in.

"I'll be impressed if that's effective in any manner," the Warden said, dismissing his sword.

"Thank you for doing that," Ciel said.

"Don't be like that," he said, coming closer to her. "I just want you out of here; his embarrassment is a bonus." The Warden took hold of the black rose, studied it, then ripped it out of Ciel's chest. For a moment, the pain of her death returned. It was gone quickly, so she kept her composure. He nodded in approval. "Not even a flinch. Your guide out of here should arrive shortly. If you get the chance, make sure to embarrass that Mephiste as much as possible." He disappeared, appearing by the throne to pick up a book and mark something down.

Putting her hand over the hole in her chest, Ciel looked over at Syrma. He seemed contented now. "Most of my thanks is for you, though. I might have been ruined without your support, and you didn't even need to do this."

'Your presence reminds me that I only have to bear this loneliness a little longer,' he said with a feeling of renewed hope. 'I don't want you to be blocked from your love either, especially when you've not done anything to deserve this pain. I was able to help another... I'm happy for you.'

She smiled as she put her sword away. "Syrma, I serve Spica. I'll tell her what happened."

There weren't any words, but Ciel could feel his gratitude as her vision went white. The angels had finally reached her. As they healed the wound from the black rose, she knew that Rosamund was struggling to accept her death. Her grief was keeping her from making rational decisions and Mephiste still had his eyes on her. But Rosamund had the means to destroy him now; she just needed the moral strength to keep from crossing the line in her revenge.

Before she could ask it, the angels agreed to bring her into the mortal world once more. Once last meeting with her beloved. She had to make this count.

She would make it count.


End file.
